All posts tagged recipe

For the first time in weeks, I didn’t have a recipe planned, prepared, and photographed in advance for today’s post.  I had been taking pictures of interesting recipes as I created them for awhile, and saving them up.  But then I ran out!

So I asked my Facebook fans what type of recipe they’d like to see.  The overwhelming majority said: “Something quick and easy.”  Apparently a whole bunch of people have nights when they forget to thaw meat or plan anything until five o’clock rolls around, and then everyone gets hungry and they need to feed the family now.

Not that I’d have any idea what that’s like….

Tuesday night I sent the kids off to the playground with my husband.  It was an absolutely gorgeous evening — sunny and in the mid-70s with a cool breeze.  They had boundless energy, as usual, and were raring to go.  And it gave me a good hour to go into the kitchen and create, time, and make a quick meal.  Obviously we can say this isn’t real-world circumstances (ha) and it might take you a bit longer than it took me.  You know, if you have little ones yelling at you or pulling on your pants or pounding on each other.  Again, not that I’d have any idea what that’s like.

Anyway, this can get on the table in roughly 30 minutes, maybe a bit longer in the “real world” and it’s perfectly healthy.  I served it with the 1/2 a cantaloupe I had in my fridge.

Ingredients:

• 8 tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 c. chicken stock
• 4 – 5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped*
• 1 lb. broccoli florets, chopped
• 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• Sea salt to taste — try Real Salt!

*Replace with cauliflower and this should be GAPS-friendly.  Or just for fun!

Directions:

In a large soup pot, melt the butter.

Mince your onions.

Add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened.  You might choose to add a small shredded carrot at this point; I didn’t have any.

While the onion is cooking, peel and chop your potatoes into small bites.  You don’t have to peel them, but my 1-year-old spilled vinegar on them in the pantry, so I peeled.

Add your chicken stock.

Then, add the potatoes.  Set the timer for 10 minutes and turn the soup up to medium high.  It needs to boil, but not too hard.

During these 10 minutes, chop up your broccoli if you need to do that.  I did.

Add the broccoli and the sea salt (I started with 1/2 tsp.) and turn the timer on for 10 more minutes.

Then, shred your cheese if needed.

At this point, you should have a few minutes.  Chop up some fresh fruit or throw together a salad to go with this so dinner’s done easily. When the timer goes off again, check to make sure your broccoli and potatoes are cooked through and soft.  The starch from the potatoes should have thickened up the soup pretty nicely.  See?

If, for some reason, this didn’t happen (it might not since the potatoes don’t cook super long and release all their starch), you can add 1 – 2 tbsp. flour or arrowroot powder or another thickener.  Add arrowroot to a small amount of cool water first; add flour directly, a tiny bit at a time.  Stir constantly as you add it.  I wanted mine extra creamy, so I did.

Add all the cheese and stir until melted.

Now it’s done, time to serve!  This should make about 4 servings, medium-sized bowls.  If you have a very hungry or larger family you might want to double it, or serve it also with some crusty bread or in a sourdough bread bowl something.  I might have made chocolate chip bread after dinner….

Enjoy!

**This post has been entered in Frugal Days and Sustainable Ways.**

What’s your favorite quick meal?

These are a delicious way to use up oats — of which I have a lot in my pantry.  And they freeze well, so you can make a big batch and keep them around for awhile for a quick breakfast.  Just pop them in the toaster and slather them with butter!  Very yummy.

If you ever have trouble planning breakfasts like I do (or, you know, all the other meals…), try Plan to Eat.  You can save all your favorite recipes there (including this one!) and drag and drop them onto your plan.  It’ll even make a grocery list for you so shopping is easy!  Meal planning is a great way to save money on your groceries, and this tool makes it really simple, even if you’re not yet sold on the meal planning idea.  They have both monthly and annual subscription options, so you can try it out — or save by buying a year at a time.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. oatmeal
• 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (or buckwheat flour, for gluten-free)
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 1/4 c. sucanat or maple syrup
• 2 eggs (or 2 tbsp. ground flax + 6 tbsp. water)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 c. milk

Directions:

The night before you want to make pancakes, mix together the oatmeal, whole wheat (or buckwheat) flour, and buttermilk.  If using the flax seed, add this now too.  Stir together, then cover.

In the morning, add the sucanat.  (Yes, that’s really organic white sugar.  I had run out of every other sweetener at that time.)

Add the eggs.

Add the sea salt and baking powder.  Try using some Real Salt!  I love mine.

The oatmeal mix will be kind of dry from sitting overnight.  You’ll need to use a spoon to break up the large chunks and smooth out the batter some.  This will take a bit of time.  However, in my experience, if you just add more milk for soaking, it turns into an extra-thick mass that doesn’t rise properly.  So, this is ultimately a better solution.

Add your milk.

My daughter’s “helping” me.

Keep stirring it and breaking up chunks until you get a fairly uniform batter.  There will still be some small chunks, and that’s okay.

Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat, and melt some butter in it.

Pour small spoonfuls of batter into the pan.  I did mine in about 2″ circles.

When the bubbles pop and stay open, and the edges are golden brown (about 3 – 4 minutes), flip them.

Cook them another 2 – 3 minutes, then remove them from the pan.

Let them cool completely before putting into a bag to freeze for later.  Or serve immediately with lots of butter and, if desired, real maple syrup!

How do you like your pancakes?

Back in the day, I used to love that boxed broccoli- cheese rice mix.  I would make it and eat it as a meal.  Of course, I don’t buy it anymore.  But I still love the concept.

Why not make it at home?

This can be a really fast lunch if you make it ahead of time.  Pair it with some baked chicken and a salad and you’re good to go.  Even if you don’t make it ahead, it’s still not bad — most of the time is “ignoring” anyway.  And it’s pretty yummy.  I actually made it with the chicken then ended up ignoring the chicken in favor of the rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 c. minced onion
• 1 c. brown rice (soaked, if desired)
• 2 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 c. broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 c. cream or half-and-half

Directions:

This is simple, but it takes awhile because the rice takes time to cook — it’s just a lot of wait time!  Expect this to take a good 45 minutes due to the rice cooking.  If you choose to use white basmati rice instead, it would cut the cooking time by about half.  I typically use brown.

In a medium frying pan, saute the onions over medium-high heat until soft.

Add the rice, and lightly saute for 2 – 3 minutes, until golden brown.

Add the chicken stock, stir, and cover.  Add sea salt to taste, or about 1/2 tsp. (you can add more later if needed).  This will cook with occasional stirring for about 30 – 40 minutes, until the rice is almost done.  It should look “puffy” and the grains should be splitting open.

When the rice is almost cooked, stir in the chopped broccoli florets.

Add the cheese, and the cream (or half&half).

Stir this together, and allow the cheese to melt — just a minute or two.  That’s it!  Now you serve.

What’s your favorite meal to serve this rice as a side dish with?